I am the outreach consultant at Oroville High School. My job is to implement strategies to help our at-risk youth graduate and go on to secure gainful employment.

“At risk” means many different things. Some students are truants, some students are bullied, some students have mental health issues and some students are homeless due to heartbreaking circumstances. Our team has implemented strategies to help deal with the many reasons that students fail. One program we have implemented is the student incentive program. Many of our youth in Oroville are at risk for no other reason than being born into a certain circumstance. For these kids a movie pass, a new pair of pants or a free certificate to the local paintball zone means the difference between coming to school and dropping out. We also reward students who stand up for victims of bullying.

My goal today is to thank the merchants who have donated so graciously to our cause. Round Table Pizza, Surplus City Combat Zone, FKO and the compassionate Ministry of the Nazarene church have made it possible for us to carry on with our outreach efforts and keep kids in school. For those merchants that would like to help our cause we are always accepting donations and I thank them in advance for their generosity. We will never give up on any student, whether they are honor roll or homeless, so thank you for helping us help our kids.